


Most Ridiculous Luck

by claudia603



Category: Lord of the Rings (2001 2002 2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Interspecies, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-17
Updated: 2010-04-17
Packaged: 2017-10-09 00:17:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claudia603/pseuds/claudia603
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Down on Luck. Frodo and Aragorn and Frodo's sweet daughter Essie have made a life for themselves in that cabin in the woods. And then Frodo gets the big news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Most Ridiculous Luck

"Tommy, thank you so much for watching Essie for me," Frodo said, allowing the toddler to tear into Tommy's cottage. She screeched with delight at seeing Robin.

"No trouble on my part," Tommy said. "Robin loves her."

"Good, good. Then they should have fun this afternoon. I have to fetch some things at the leather store for Aragorn, though he's not expected until tonight. He wanted me to do this while he was gone, but naturally I've waited until the last minute." He laughed a little.

"Are you feeling all right?" Tommy asked. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm all right," Frodo said, but he frowned. He had not felt quite right for a few days now. It seemed that all he wanted to do was sleep. In fact, he stifled a yawn. He hoped he found what Aragorn wanted soon so that he could go home and take a nap. "I'm only tired."

"Well, take it easy."

Tommy was much better than he had been at the time of Estel's birth, Frodo was pleased to note. In fact, he rarely took a sick turn, which was good because Robin was getting so big and he was too old to be confined to a playpen.

"All right then. I shall be back soon," Frodo said.

Frodo walked the way to market, breathing in the humid summer air. He loved this time of the year, when he did not need a cloak and the flowers smelled so sweet. Frodo swallowed. He did feel rather nauseated this afternoon, though. He hoped he would not get sick in the street. He passed many of the Big Folk, who mostly ignored him or grunted a greeting at him. Most folk, hobbits and Men alike, paid him very little heed. Aragorn had warned him that might happen, as nobody trusted the Ranger and now Frodo was living with the Ranger in a cabin in the woods.

He entered the leather shop.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Baggins," the shopkeeper greeted. "How are you?"

"All right, thank you." Frodo swallowed again. He hoped he would not have to wait long. He was feeling rather weak now, and wished only for a place to sit down for a moment.

"What can I do for you?" The shopkeeper looked sharply at Frodo. "Is it hot out there already? You're sweating something fierce. Do you want a cup of water?"

"No thank you," Frodo said. The sooner he could gather Aragorn's purchase, the sooner he could be on his way home. "I will need this." Frodo handed him the written list Aragorn had left for him before leaving on his three-week trip into the Shire. Frodo rubbed his stomach. He could not imagine what was going on. He had not eaten anything unusual the night before. The last time he remembered feeling like this, it had been when Essie had been in his belly—

Frodo gasped. Was it possible? He had thought what happened with Essie had been a singular event, but was it possible that by his coupling with Aragorn -- nearly constant, he thought with a smile -- that it had happened again?

***

Frodo stopped at Bill the Healer's house on the way home.

"Come in, Frodo. Come in! I've missed you. How are you?"

"May I talk to you a moment? There's something I am worried about."

"Sure. Come in. Where is little Estel?"

Frodo smiled. "She is playing with Robin right now."

"That's good. She's an adorable little girl, is she not?"

"Oh, yes. Aragorn dotes on her. I can't wait to see what toy he brings her this time."

Bill laughed before becoming serious again. "What's on your mind, Frodo?"

"Something is wrong with me. I'm worried—"

"What do you mean?" Bill looked concerned.

"I'm worried I might be…that it may have…that there might be another Essie—"

Bill let out a long sigh. He looked truly distressed.

"Oh, Frodo. Remember, I told you that it could not happen again."

"I know," Frodo said. "But I did not think it could." He shook his head in bewilderment.

"Get up on the examining bed. I shall see about this."

Frodo was quite disturbed by Bill's reaction. It is true that Bill had told him that another would likely be fatal to him after the hard labor he'd endured to birth Essie under less than ideal circumstances.

Bill prodded Frodo's belly and examined his nipples. After that, he had Frodo pull down his breeches, and he examined farther up inside. His face remained grim throughout.

"Are you sick in the morning?"

"Not so often as last time," Frodo said. "But a little."

"Tired? More so than usual?"

"Yes."

"You are with child again, Frodo." Bill frowned. "I will not congratulate you, as I feel both you and Aragorn should have known better. Your body was battered severely during Essie's birth. A pregnant woman has a vast advantage over you. Her body is designed for bearing children. Even if she has a difficult birth, chances are the next one will be easier, if anything. For you, I will have to keep a very close watch on you."

"What shall I do then?" Frodo asked in a small voice.

"You shall see me every week, starting from now. I will probably demand full bed rest two months from now."

"That will be four months in bed," Frodo said. "I can't do that, not with Essie. Aragorn must be gone so often."

"Aragorn might have to change his life a bit now. You are not to be left alone in that cabin for long periods of time any more. If something should happen out there in the middle of nowhere, with only your Essie for company, whatever would you do?"

"Bill, I will take care of myself. I survived it last time, under much worse circumstances, and I will survive it again."

Bill nodded, as though he did not quite believe it. Frodo was bewildered and a bit angry that the healer was inspiring so little confidence. Then Bill looked up, and his eyes were hard. "Listen, Frodo. You are dear to me. Aragorn is very dear to me. And of course, so is your Essie. I do not often suggest this, but I will now… to you. I know of herbs that you could take now to end it. You would be in some pain for a few days and there would be some bleeding. But it would not be fatal if you were under my care."

Frodo's cheeks warmed and he felt as if Bill had punched him in the stomach. "No, Bill. I would not do that. No."

He could not articulate how very pleased the news had made him. That he could have a child that Aragorn could claim as his, too, was the best news he could imagine. How he had longed for that while Essie was in his belly, fathered by who knows who! Essie's father could have been the long dead Eolon, or any other of the horrid men Frodo had lain with during that blurred time in his life when he had no shame.

Bill closed his eyes. "I thought you might say that." He sighed before clasping Frodo's shoulder. "All right. Then I will work my hardest to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. Where is Aragorn now?"

"He comes this evening."

"Tell him the news tonight because tomorrow I would like to speak to him on the matter."

"All right."

"And I will expect you back next week."

***

When Frodo and Essie finally made it back to the cottage in the woods, Frodo was shocked to see that Aragorn had made it home already. Frodo dropped Essie's hand and ran to him. Aragorn dropped to one knee and embraced Frodo, kissing him all over. He then grabbed Essie and swung her up in the air until the little girl giggled with pleasure.

Frodo waited until after they had eaten and after Essie had been tucked into bed. Then he sat beside Aragorn on the sofa before the fire.

"I missed you so," Aragorn said, holding Frodo close. "It is painful to see so many of your kind, but to have the hobbit I want to be near the most be so far away."

Frodo took a deep breath.

"I have something I must tell you."

 

They sat on the sofa before the fire, and Frodo's words hung between them.

Aragorn stared at Frodo, his face losing all color. "How…but how could it happen again? We…" His voice had faded out on the last word, as if he realized just how ridiculous the question was.

Frodo laughed and took Aragorn's now slightly trembling hand. "I am surprised your memory is so short. For I remember plenty of nights in which this could have happened."

Aragorn grinned then, and Frodo released an internal sigh of relief. "Another. And this one will be mine. Not that I don't cherish Essie as if she were mine – after all, I did help bring her into this world, but the idea of any other Man with his hands on you, Frodo—"

"This one will be a part of you," Frodo said. "I understand."

Aragorn let his hand rest on Frodo's belly. "I don't feel any difference."

"It's a long time yet," Frodo said. "Bill says it will be six months from now, in December. Probably in time for Yule. I am around eight weeks along. Half-human babies generally come early," he added hastily when he saw Aragorn's confusion.

Aragorn bent forward and kissed Frodo. Even during the kiss, the Man could not seem to stop grinning. After the kiss finished, he clasped Frodo's shoulders and looked Frodo over from top to bottom. "You look in good health. What has Bill to say about it?"

Frodo's smile faded slightly. He did not want to bring up Bill's grim reaction. The last thing he wanted was to rob Aragorn of his enthusiasm. "He wishes to speak to you tomorrow on it. He thinks I may have to be on full bed rest in two months."

Aragorn's expression became serious. "He is worried."

"He is just being cautious." Frodo took in a deep breath. "But that means I will not be able to stay here alone while you are on your wanderings."

Aragorn nodded. "You may have to stay with Tommy and Bart while I am away. Or have Tommy come stay with you."

***

Frodo paused outside the door to Bill's cottage. A week had passed since he had told Aragorn the news. Aragorn had not gone to talk to Bill, as they had both agreed that they might as well wait until Frodo's first official exam. Frodo in fact dreaded Bill talking to Aragorn, for if he were as grim as he were to Frodo that first day, then the excited mood of anticipating the baby would be gone. Aragorn would fret over him and worse than that, he might agree to Bill's outlandish herb solution. Frodo didn't think Aragorn would sink as low as sneaking the herbs into his tea, but if Aragorn tried to convince him to rid himself of the baby, Frodo thought it might break his heart.

 

"You don't have to come, Aragorn. I can tell Bill you are busy."

"I want to."

"You're being silly. I've been through this before, remember?"

"Yes, but this time, I'm more attached to you."

Frodo could not help but laugh. "All right. But I'm not going to take responsibility for anything that will shock you."

"I've been around a long time. Far too long to be shocked by anything hobbity."

"Oh," Bill said, clearly happy to see Aragorn. "Excellent! I have much I will need to do to poor Frodo. And Frodo, I will need you to take your breeches off and hop up on the table. You know the routine."

Frodo obeyed and he sat on the edge of the hard bed. He yawned. Already he was so tired.

"Unbutton your shirt, too. You don't need to take it off. I just need to feel around how big you are."

Frodo looked worriedly at Aragorn and then back at Bill. "Are you sure you must examine me? Is it not the same as last time?"

Bill laughed. "Lie back, Frodo."

Frodo lay back, feeling the hard bed dig into his back. He closed his eyes. He could easily fall asleep. Bill's hand over his abdomen jarred him awake. He prodded, frowning as he felt around. "Why, that is odd. I should not feel any rounding this early, but I do. Though it is a second child – and they usually pop out sooner."

Aragorn leaned forward. "May I?"

Bill nodded and pulled his hand away as Aragorn stroked Frodo's stomach. "I suppose there is a slight rounding." He grinned. Frodo was now glad he had come. His enthusiasm was infectious and soon even Bill was smiling. Perhaps Bill was in a better mood today, anyway. Perhaps he would not be grim.

"All right." Bill's stubby fingers massaged Frodo's nipples again. "Definitely some change of color here. Now for the unpleasant part."

Frodo frowned, remembering a funnel-shaped object that Bill had stuck inside him when he was big with Essie.

"Now you must relax." Bill turned to Aragorn. "I know how stubborn Frodo can be. You make sure he's eating what he's meant to be eating. And not over-exerting."

"Getting a hobbit to eat is no difficult task, Bill," Aragorn laughed. "It's the other part that is near impossible."

"You can speak to me." Frodo glared at both of them. "I am here."

Bill chuckled. "Frodo, turn around so that you are lying on your stomach. And I need your legs spread out."

Frodo turned around, fully aware that his bottom was now on display. Not that either of these men hadn't seen it before, but it was still odd.

Frodo startled when something pried into his backside. He squirmed, clutching the sides of the bed.

Aragorn took one of his hands and squeezed. "Easy there. Relax, Frodo."

"What are you doing, Bill?" Frodo gasped. It seemed that Bill had fit his huge hand all inside him and was groping everywhere at once.

"Well," Bill said when he pulled his hand out. "You may turn back over, Frodo." Frodo gladly complied, though his bottom throbbed. "All signs point to you being at eight weeks like we discussed before." He looked puzzled. "But you're nearly as big as if you were twelve weeks along."

"What can that mean?" Frodo asked. "Is the baby all right?"

"It seems so. I would not worry about it. You seem in splendid health. Make certain you are not on your feet for long periods of time, make sure you eat properly, and do not climb up onto anything from whence you could have a dangerous fall."

Aragorn looked sternly at him. "That means enough of trying to fix our roof."

Bill looked at Aragorn in puzzlement.

"Yes, Frodo has taken it upon himself to climb up on top of the roof in my absence and work on leaks. I have no idea what he is thinking, because if he falls and breaks his leg, Essie is unlikely to be able to do anything to help."

Frodo crossed his arms, though he was touched by Aragorn's concern. This was the first he had heard Aragorn fret about that situation. "For your information, Aragorn, I am very careful when I climb up there. I do not take untoward risks."

"Well, now you are not to be up there at all," Bill said firmly. "Which reminds me, Aragorn. I would like to speak to you in private."

Frodo's stomach sank, for he could only imagine what the healer was going to tell Aragorn.

 

"What did he say to you?" Frodo asked as he trotted to catch up with Aragorn's long strides. The Breefolk did not call him "Longshanks" for nothing, he thought, gasping for breath. "Aragorn, please slow down."

Aragorn slowed his pace. "I do not wish to speak of it."

Frodo felt a burst of fury at Bill for ruining their joy over the baby after just one week. "Did he tell you that he does not think I shall survive it? For I will, Aragorn. I am strong, and you know it."

Aragorn stopped abruptly, causing Frodo nearly to slam into him. He grabbed Frodo's shoulders and knelt in front of him. "Did he say this to you?"

His face was pale, his jaw clenched, and it barely seemed to hold emotion, yet Frodo knew him well enough to know he was furious.

"Well…yes. He said that another might be fatal, that I should have known better –"

"Confound him," Aragorn said, turning his face in bitterness. "He's a good man and a good healer, but he should not have said such things to you."

"He means well."

"But to have caused undue worry on you, he should not have done that."

"Aragorn," Frodo whispered, embracing him. "I survived Essie's birth in the most abominable setting possible. I am not worried this time."

"I cannot help but worry," Aragorn said, but he smiled. "But I am also happy beyond belief. I love you, Frodo, and we will have this new baby and you shall both survive it."

"What else did he say?" Frodo's knees nearly gave out, so relieved he was that Aragorn had made no mention of the herbs.

"Just the same thing, that you are a stubborn hobbit and we should take extra care of you."

"Stubborn?" Frodo raised his brows. "Where have I come to earn this reputation?"

"I wonder," Aragorn said, shaking his head and rising to his feet again. "Come, let us go home so I can make you a celebration feast."

Frodo took his hand. "This sounds like a wonderful plan to me."

 

***

 

three weeks later…

Frodo's muscles had turned into mush. That was the only explanation he had for his seeming inability to move. Even the mere act of shifting in bed caused him to groan with fatigue. He yawned, and he could not keep his eyes open. He was grateful that Aragorn had nowhere he needed to be this day, as he knew he was incapable of taking care of Essie on his own.

The little girl slipped out of Aragorn's sight and into the bedroom, jumping on the bed. Frodo clutched his stomach, willing himself not to throw up as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him.

"Frodo, Frodo!" Essie called, pulling at Frodo's sleeve. "Come see what I made!"

"Let him sleep, Essie," Aragorn called from the other room.

"I cannot now, darling," Frodo said, unable even to crack open his eyes. "Perhaps I shall feel better some time before you go to sleep."

"Frodo!" Essie said indignantly, pulling on his sleeve again. "I'm hungry."

"Ask Aragorn."

"Want you."

"I'm sleeping, darling."

"Wake up!"

Aragorn strode into the bedroom. Frodo was amused to see through barely cracked open eyes that his Ranger was barefoot, and his shirt was tucked out. "Essie, you come right now."

"Want Frodo."

"He is sleeping. I will make you something to eat."

Frodo buried his face into the pillow and hoped that the churning in his belly meant hunger and not a burgeoning nausea. He was tired of vomiting up everything the dear Ranger prepared for him.

"Frodo," Aragorn said softly from the door. "Do you need anything?"

"No thank you," Frodo said. He ran his hand on his belly. Already he was much bigger than he had been with Essie. Why, he had been nearly 16 weeks along when he was as big as he was right now. His back ached in memory of getting as big as he was at the end of carrying Essie. He shuddered. Oh, his life had been so much different then, too. Eolon and Aram had been a constant threat, Aragorn had been nearly hostile to him at times, and he had been thrown in jail like a common criminal. He stroked the rounding on his stomach and wondered whether Bill was correct in when the baby was to arrive. Perhaps the baby would arrive long before Yule.

***

Early the next week, Frodo finally felt well enough to be out of bed. In fact, it had been a sudden change, as if overnight a veil had been yanked from before his eyes.

All morning, he played with Essie, and the little girl laughed with delight that Frodo was back to his old self.

Aragorn clipped his weapons around his waist and pulled on his muddy boots.

"Where are you going?" Frodo asked. His heart sank that Aragorn might have to leave him for a long time again.

"I must go today," Aragorn said. "I will send for Tommy to come stay with you."

"Are you certain you must go?" Frodo asked.

Aragorn nodded. "There is danger in the woods near the Shire. I cannot shirk duty much longer. I should not be gone as long this time. Perhaps a week."

"Stay safe," Frodo said, feeling the cold of worry in his belly. He always saw Aragorn strapping his weapons on, but if he thought too hard about Aragorn actually having to fight and possibly not come out of it, he felt sick inside.

"I shall come back. Let me not catch you on the roof."

Frodo smiled. It had become a running jest between them now. "I shall try not to help Butterbur fix up his inn's roof, either."

Frodo stood up and when Aragorn knelt, he gave the Man a long, lingering kiss on the mouth.

"I shall go fetch Tommy for you now."

Frodo watched Aragorn leave with a lump in his throat. How he envied Tommy now, that his Bart worked in the village in a job that was not dangerous and was home every evening. Aragorn waved to him and he waved back, forcing a smile.

 

"Oh, confound it!"

Frodo startled at the harsh tone in Tommy's voice. Even Essie and Robin looked up from their toys for just a moment. Frodo and Essie had come to stay with Tommy until Aragorn returned from his duties. Frodo sat with a bucket of potatoes in front of him. He had taken it upon himself to peel them so that he could make stew for the families that night.

"What is it?" Frodo asked.

"Bart has forgotten a key he promised to remember to bring to his boss today. I should hate for him to get into trouble for it." He shook his head. "Bart has no more memory than a bird sometimes."

"Will you take it to him?"

Tommy sighed. "Yes, I think I must. Frodo, do you mind? Will you be all right for an hour, perhaps an hour and a half?"

"Yes," Frodo said with a broad smile. "Go ahead. I feel splendid."

After Tommy left, Frodo leaned against the door on the porch, watching Essie toddle after Robin. How she adored him! They were a sweet pair of hobbit children. It would be amusing indeed if they did marry eventually. That is, if Essie did not share Frodo's thirst for the Big Folk, he thought with a slight chuckle. Both Robin and Essie had light tufts of hair on large, tough feet. Both had unruly hair and slightly pointed ears. Of course, they were a little larger than hobbit children were at that age, but that did not stop Frodo from primarily thinking of them as hobbit children.

The sun was warm, but not too much so, and Frodo found it difficult to keep his eyes open. The birds were singing, he caught the fragrance of flowers on the breeze, and in general, it was a fine morning.

His eyes closed, and he slipped into an odd dream. In it, he was sitting on the porch, just as he was now, and he glanced up to see Eolon stumbling toward him.

Eolon, you have no part here anymore, Frodo said. Be gone!

I see my little halfling is breeding again. Who's the lucky man now? Not that ranger scum, surely. He don't know how to treat a hobbit. Not like I can.

He lurched toward Frodo.

Frodo snapped awake. Breathing quickly, he realized that he was sweating profusely. The sun had grown much warmer in the few moments he must have dozed. He looked around. Where were the little ones? He stood, fully awake, his heart banging with fear.

"Robin! Essie!" Already, his growing belly made it difficult to keep his balance on the stairs without grasping tightly to the rail. Still, he leaped down them two at a time and ran to the back yard. He looked around. When he saw Robin behind a tree, he let out a large sigh of relief.

"Robin, where's Estel?"

"I don't know," Robin said. "I can't find her."

"What do you mean?" Frodo said, his heart battering his chest. He could barely take in breath as he looked from left to right, but his Essie was nowhere in sight.

"Robin, you must tell me where you saw her last."

"I don't know," Robin said, beginning to cry when he saw how upset Frodo was. "We were playing hide and seek, and I told her to go hide. But I couldn't find her."

Frodo's ears thudded, and the world looked hideous and dangerous. His impulse was to run through the fields, searching everywhere, but Tommy was still not back and he could not leave Robin.

"All right. Then you must come with me. You must try to catch up."

Frodo walked as fast as he could. His heart was wrung with cold fear. What if Essie had fallen somewhere and was lying hurt in some ravine? She was so tiny, so easy to miss. She was so helpless. She could not be in this wide world alone. He shivered violently as he pushed through a tall crop of grass and suddenly landed on a dirt road.

"Hoy, halfling! Watch it!"

The Man's voice startled him, and he jumped back, just now realizing that he had nearly walked in front of a wagon. The man had reared his horses in and looked rather put out by the interruption.

"Pardon me, sir!" Frodo called, his throat closed in fear. Essie could be in danger like this. She could be wandering along the road, too small for a man on a horse or driving a wagon to see. "Have you seen a little hobbit lass?"

"Nay, not on this road." The man spit off the side of his wagon.

"Please…if you do…I've lost my little girl."

The Man's eyes narrowed. "You ain't one of them used halflings, are you?"

"Please…" Frodo closed his eyes. "It does not matter…" The day had turned poisonous. There was the world in which Essie was with him and then the nightmare landscape in which she was not.

The man shook his head in disgust and then laughed. "I'll make certain I don't run her down if I see her. Now git out of my way!"

Frodo's chest felt hollow as he stepped out the way and watched the man carelessly drive his horses forward. That there could be such cruelty and indifference made him hate the world of men at times. Sweat poured from his brow and soaked his shirt so that it clung to him. He already had blisters on the bottom of his feet, and he hated to think how poor Robin felt. In fact, the little lad had not complained at all, but he was now limping miserably.

"Come now, sweetheart," Frodo said, hoisting him on his hip. He grunted from the strain. He was aware that this probably not something Bill or Aragorn would approve of. But what else could he do?

He trotted back through the fields as fast as he could, looking in all directions. Where could his little Estel be? Where could she have gone in so short a time? His throat was now hoarse from shouting her name. Robin was weeping.

"I'm sorry, Frodo," he sobbed. "It's all my fault. I told her to hide."

"It's not your fault, darling," Frodo said. "You did not know she was too little to play that game."

"I don't want anything to happen to her!" Robin cried in anguish, and Frodo's heart echoed the sentiment.

When he reached home, Tommy had arrived, and he ran to meet them.

"What has happened?" he asked, taking Robin from Frodo's arms.

"Essie," Frodo said in a trembling voice. "She's gone. We've looked all over the fields and on the main road."

He collapsed on the front step and put his hands over his face. "What shall I do now?" He began to weep. "She is alone out there."

"Oh. Oh, no." Tommy said, dropping beside him and putting his arm around Frodo's shoulder. "Don't weep, Frodo. We shall find her. Let us think a moment. What does Essie love more than anything? Where would she go? Put yourself in her feet."

Frodo looked up and wiped his eyes. "She loves apples. All the time when we are on our way here, she points to the apple trees – I must go at once!"

Tommy pushed Frodo back down. "I shall go. You stay here with Robin," Tommy said. "You've already overexerted yourself. Goodness, you'll lose the baby."

"That does not matter now."

Frodo took off running down the road, free of the burden of Robin at least. His breath came in sharp gasps and a wretched cramp clutched his stomach. This was terrible for the baby, but right now, only his dear Essie with the bright blue eyes and joyful giggle mattered.

At last he made it to the orchard, which belonged, no small coincidence, to a Mr. Appledore. The man struck Frodo as unnaturally grim and rather frightening, but right now Frodo did not care.

He shouted his girl's name again and again, before finally, the most blessed sound answered him. "Frodo!"

A clear child's voice, tremulous with tears, from high up. "Frodo!'

"I'm coming, Estel. Don't move!"

Frodo did not think. He started to climb the tree. His foot slipped off the first branch, luckily not too high up, and he fell all the way to the ground, landing on his back with an "omph!" He was certain he would pay for it later. He tried to climb again, this time managing to scramble all the way upward to where Essie was. As he reached the top branches of the tree, the limbs grew too slim to safely hold Frodo's weight, and he had to proceed much more cautiously. Essie was just a little higher, where those same branches could hold her weight – but barely. Frodo closed his eyes when he saw how far down the ground was.

 

"Essie," Frodo whispered, his heart pounding so hard he could not take in deep breath. His thighs trembled from tensing them so that he did not slip from his precarious position on the slender branch. "Essie, don't move. Please don't move."

"Want down!" Essie sobbed.

"Hoy!" A harsh voice shouted upward. "Get down from there, you rascals, or I'll call the law!"

"Pardon me," Frodo called down in a shaky voice. "I am getting my little girl down. Half a moment."

The orchard owner Frodo knew as Appledore came into view. His round face was flushed with annoyance as he glared upward into the tree. "You trying to get yourself killed, halfling? You'll likely break your neck, not to mention you're trespassing and ruining my crops!"

Frodo forced himself to tune out the man's rough voice as he inched toward Essie. Just a little more, just a little more. He pulled the branch that Essie was on toward him so that Essie slid toward him. "Just hold on, darling, hold on." His heart turned cold when for a moment, Frodo thought Essie would topple to the side to certain death for her. But instead Essie slid into his arms. The little girl's weight knocked backwards against the trunk, and he lost his grip on the branch just above him. He tottered, clutching Essie to him, breath held, fully expecting the two of them to go plummeting downward. Appledore stood below, looking pale and concerned now, holding his hands out, as if he would try to catch them if they did fall.

"Easy does it," he shouted up. "You wanna let the girl drop? I'll catch her. Otherwise you'll likely both fall."

Frodo considered it. Essie was so little that the man should have no trouble catching her, but…if he missed. What then? Frodo could not imagine releasing her, not for a moment. His back ached fiercely now. He would not now be surprised if he lost the new baby after this. It made him sad, as it was something that was a part of Aragorn, but he decided it would be worth it, if it was a choice between the new baby and Essie.

Frodo shifted Essie so that she was on her hip, just as he had done with Robin earlier.

"Hold onto me with your feet and your hands so I can climb." The little girl whimpered, but she obeyed. Her grip was shockingly strong.

Slowly, slowly, Frodo climbed downward with his burden on his hip. He gasped for breath and his muscles trembled from the exertion. He would pay for this later, he knew. He could not imagine how sore he would be the next morning. At least Aragorn was gone and would have no idea what he had done. He would swear Tommy to secrecy.

When Frodo was nearly to the ground, Appledore took Essie from him. Frodo stumbled to the bottom of the tree, gasping for breath. The pain in his back was very fierce now. He could only hold the small of his back and try to take calming breaths. He was sweating everywhere, even between his thighs, and he hoped beyond hope that it actually was sweat he felt there and not sticky blood.

Suddenly Tommy was there, though Frodo had not seen nor heard him running through the orchard. "Frodo! Frodo!" When he saw Frodo crumpled at the bottom of the tree, his shouting grew alarmed. "Are you all right?"

Appledore put Essie down and knelt beside Frodo. "You need me to take him to a healer or something? He don't look good." His meaty hand rested on Frodo's sweaty brow.

"Would you?" Tommy asked. "I cannot lift him, and I do not think he should walk. He's…well, he's…never mind." He flushed, no doubt not willing to possibly cause the man to become disgusted with Frodo. "Frodo, you should have let me take care of this!" Tommy had never scolded him, and Frodo could only close his eyes, too relieved that Essie was safe and in too much pain to answer.

Appledore shook his head and gently lifted Frodo. "I would have had him taken to the law for trespassing on my orchard. Thought he was just one of them young hobbit thieves and I wanted to learn him a lesson -- but when I saw the little girl up there, I knew how he felt. I would've done the same thing."

"Thank you," Frodo whispered, relieved to be in capable hands. Yes, Bill would be furious with him, but at least he would be under his care. He had not realized how trying his adventure had been, but as soon as Appledore began to walk, Frodo fell into a deep sleep.

***

Bill's fierce face greeted Frodo when next he awakened.

 

"Where's Essie?" Frodo gasped. He tried to remember, but he had only the hazy memory of searching everywhere for her. His back and leg muscles throbbed miserably.

"She's with Tommy. Don't you fret."

Frodo's hands went right to the rounding on his belly. "And the baby—"

"You're not losing it," Bill said, his lips tight. "And I would say more to you, young Frodo, but I'll save it. Your Strider's back and he's caught wind of what happened—"

"Aragorn's back?" Frodo cried, both in joy and dismay. He had hoped for time to recover so that Aragorn need never know. Oh, he would never hear the end of this… But Aragorn had come back safely – and sooner than Frodo expected.

Bill continued, his voice rough and irritated. "I expect he'll have a lot to say about this, too, but let me tell you, Frodo Baggins, you're going to have a rough enough time of it without adding tree-climbing, and running through the fields in the heat carrying a four-year-old child to your activities. You're lucky you haven't lost the baby. I'm keeping you under my care tonight, just to make sure."

Aragorn came in. "He's awake?" His face was pinched with the tender care, but his jaw tensed in irritation.

"You came back early."

"And not a moment too soon, I see. Frodo…" He held out his hands. "You could have been killed today. And Essie, too."

"I know." Frodo was trembling now, but he felt comfortable propped up by pillows and tucked into a bed with crisp cool sheets. "But we're safe. And so are you."

Aragorn was not finished, though. "What were you thinking? There are plenty who would have aided you."

"Essie was gone. What would you expect me to do."

"Send Tommy. Fetch anyone else to help." Aragorn shook his head. "Your stubbornness…" His voice shook, and Frodo realized he had never seen him so furious. "You care not for those who could not live without you."

Frodo's cheeks burned. "Aragorn, I do not apologize for my actions. If the same thing happened tomorrow, I would do it again, at whatever cost. Would you not?"

Aragorn paused, and at last his face softened. "Yes," he said after a time. "I suppose I would. I should not expect less from you." He sat on the stool beside the bed and took Frodo's hand. He lifted the hobbit's hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Are you here to stay for a time?" Frodo asked.

"At least a month," Aragorn said. "I must take care of some duty in Breeland."

Frodo slipped into a content doze. Essie was safe, he had not lost the baby, and he had Aragorn for a whole month. He could not imagine a better life.

 

**

"Frodo," Aragorn said, propping himself on one elbow and studying the hobbit's belly. "When did Bill say the baby is due to arrive? Yule?"

Frodo nodded. He had felt the baby move, though something was odd. He could not put his finger on what was different from the last time, but it seemed as though this was not a baby but an octopus, squirming in eight different directions.

"That means you still have four months to go," Aragorn said curiously. "But you are big, nearly as big as a lass with only two months or so to wait."

"A second baby always looks bigger sooner," Frodo said. "That's what Bill tells me."

Aragorn kissed Frodo tenderly, which Frodo was grateful for. He had begun to feel bloated and homely as of late. His ankles were swollen, and he felt like a great blob of a creature, much worse than the fattest of hobbits because at least they were rounded all over. He, too, could not believe he still had four months to go.

 

***

Lying atop the uncomfortable examining bed, Frodo held Bill's gaze, though he was nervous. He was so nervous, in fact, that his insides felt cold and quivery, and he wondered if he would throw up, right here in the healer's cottage. For once he wished that Aragorn had come with him to see Bill.

"What is it? Why do you look at me like that?"

Bill cleared his throat. He turned around, pressing his hands to his forehead as if trying to gain control.

"Bill," Frodo said, his voice becoming shrill. "Is the baby all right?"

Bill nodded. "As far as I can see. But Frodo, dear. I do not know how to tell you this gently—"

"What is it? Is or is not something wrong with the baby?"

"It is something I've suspected for some time, Frodo, but only now have I become certain."

"Bill, you must tell me. You're frightening me."

"You are carrying two."

Frodo held Bill's gaze in a shocked glaze, and his ears rang until Bill's cottage seemed distant. Had he been standing, he surely would have fainted.

 

Frodo woke with a compress on his head. He looked around Bill's cottage, feeling weak and dizzy and – the news Bill had told him crashed back over him, leaving him breathless again.

"I suppose I could have told you more gently." Bill shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry."

"Bill…" Frodo clutched his belly. "Bill…What am I to do?" He could barely breathe. Two?…two? He shook his head. "How?"

Bill smiled in tender affection and took Frodo's hand, squeezing it. "I should never have made you fearful to begin with, and for that, I apologize. We will do this, all of us. You, me, your Aragorn. You will deliver two babies as healthy as Estel."

Frodo closed his eyes. "And now I'm being a coward. But Bill, what am I to do meanwhile?"

Bill's expression sobered. "For one thing, you are to be bedridden very soon. Perhaps as soon as next week. Your Aragorn needs to be around more frequently. He cannot keep leaving your care in the hands of Tommy and Bart. They are wonderful folk, but they have no skills in healing."

***

"You are quiet," Aragorn said. "Are you feeling all right?"

Aragorn, Frodo, and Essie sat around their wooden table eating mushroom pie. Frodo loved to make it, and normally it was a favorite, but tonight he could barely swallow, so nervous was he about telling Aragorn the news. "No…well, yes…Essie, do not bang your cup on the table."

Essie giggled and kept banging the cup. Milk splashed out of it and onto the table.

"Stop." Aragorn firmly grabbed the cup and thrust it down. Essie heard the stern quality in Aragorn's voice and was immediately quiet. "What is it, Frodo?"

Frodo flushed, glancing at Essie. "I will tell you later."

Aragorn put his fork down. "Did something not go well in your appointment with Bill?"

Frodo took a breath. "It does have to do with my meeting with Bill."

"Is something wrong?"

Frodo looked up, unable to speak. Even Essie was looking at Frodo, her brow puckered with worry.

"Oh, I suppose no harm will come of telling you now, even with Essie here. Bill says I'm…" He looked around the room, anywhere but into Aragorn's eyes. Aragorn took his hand and pressed it.

"I'm carrying…there are two inside."

Aragorn's hand clenched Frodo's so hard that the hobbit cried out. Aragorn instantly released him and stared at him, slack-jawed. "Two?" The color drained from his face. "Twins? Is Bill certain of this?"

Frodo nodded. "I believe him. I'm so big already and…it feels like they are everywhere at once."

The relief at having told Aragorn was enormous, and his shoulders relaxed.

"Two babies?" Essie asked, her eyes bright and precocious. Not much went over her head.

Aragorn squeezed Frodo's hand again, this time gently. "We must take especially good care of you. Do you hear that, Essie? You will have two brothers or sisters. Two. I grew up with twins, the sons of Elrond. Elrohir and Elladan are very dear to me."

Essie scrambled off the chair and felt Frodo's belly. "Kick?"

"Maybe," Frodo said. "Just wait."

Essie pressed her ear on Frodo's belly striving to listen. Her face broke into a wide smile. "I hear them!"

Aragorn laughed and tousled Essie's curls. "It is time for you to go to bed."

"No." Essie crinkled up her face and looked as though she might cry. "Not yet!"

"You must do as Aragorn says," Frodo said. "You need your sleep." He was breathless with nervous energy, because he was certain that as soon as Essie was out of the room, Aragorn would wish to speak seriously to Frodo about it.

***

"I will shirk my duties to stay with you the rest of your time." Aragorn rubbed his hands into Frodo's foot hair, massaging. Frodo groaned with pleasure. His feet had been aching so much.

"Do not do that," Frodo said. "I am not alone, and the people of Breeland need the protection of all the rangers they can."

Aragorn shook his head. "Tommy and Bart do not have the skills, should something happen. And who will care for Essie?"

A sharp knock interrupted them.

"Umm…do not answer." Frodo was reluctant to have Aragorn tear his hands away from his feet.

Aragorn released Frodo's feet and stood. "Who is knocking so late? It concerns me." He grasped his sword and stood before the closed door. "Who is it?"

"Strider?"

Frodo frowned. He did not recognize the voice. It did not sound like either Tommy or Bart, and very few others of the folk of Bree interacted with the Ranger and the unnatural Shire hobbit.

"Yes?"

"I need help. Please…" The voice was so plaintive, so full of misery, that Aragorn threw down his sword and answered the door. He had no time to react as five men, armed with knives and bludgeons, raided the cottage.

 

Aragorn lost no time in unsheathing his sword, but his first strike was cut off by a blow to his arm. His sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor. He sprang for it, but a boot slammed down on his wrist. He stifled a cry of pain.

Frodo struggled to sit up, poised to flee into the back room. He could only think of Essie, who so far had slept through the disturbance.

A rough voice just behind Frodo's ear spoke, and Frodo jumped, as he had not heard anybody creep behind him. "Do not reach for your weapon, Ranger."

The cold tip of a sword nudged Frodo's throat. The babies inside him moved restlessly, as if they could sense Frodo's terror. Frodo's heart beat so fast that he could not catch his breath.

Aragorn stood slowly, holding his hands out in surrender. "Leave him out of this."

The Man let his sword run down Frodo's front, over his belly. Just one thrust inward and…Frodo swallowed against the nausea that crept up his throat. The Man chuckled. "Well…well…one of them unnatural halflings. 'Twasn't too long ago you were in a similar fix, if I recall straight. Didn't you learn nothing, you foolish rat?"

"Let him go," Aragorn demanded.

Frodo could not stop shivering -- these men had recognized him from before. Perhaps they had frequented Butterbur's inn during the time when Frodo had been homeless and at the mercy of whoever cared to spend a night with him. For goodness sake, perhaps one of them was even Essie's father!

"Who…who are you?" Frodo managed.

"Remember Eolon, do you? Ring a bell?"

At the mention of Eolon, Aragorn flushed a dark enraged red. He struck with the speed of a furious snake, knocking the sword from the ruffian's hand. "Run!" he hissed to Frodo. Frodo obeyed without hesitation. Normally he would have never left his love to fight on his own, no matter how his own fighting skills paled in comparison, but he had two lives inside him to think of, not to mention Essie. Frodo ran into Essie's room, hearing the sickening clash of swords. He had faith in his Aragorn, who was indeed the most skilled huntsman in all of Middle earth. Any ruffian who dared clash with him was a fool, and if they were friends with Eolon and Aram – he prayed they would all come to untimely ends.

A sharp cramp ripped into his belly, stopping him in place. He clutched his stomach, gasping. Essie slept soundly, sweetly oblivious to the clash of swords and curses from the front room.

The front door slammed, there were shouts outside, pounding feet, and Aragorn leaned in the doorway to Essie's room. "They are gone." His face dripped with sweat.

Frodo collapsed on Essie's bed, limp with relief and shock. The little girl continued to sleep. "Did they run, the cowards?"

"Yes," Aragorn said. "I cut one of them badly, so there is a fair amount of blood on our hearth. I shall clean it now–" Aragorn's face became concerned. "Frodo?"

"There are pains," Frodo said, clutching his belly and looking up, his eyes wide in fear. "Aragorn, it's too soon."

Aragorn knelt swiftly beside Essie's bed and lifted Frodo. Frodo clutched Aragorn's shoulder as another pain dug deep into his middle. Aragorn strode into their bedroom and set Frodo on their bed. "Most likely it's only from the strain. The same thing happened to you with Essie – remember?" He pushed pillows under Frodo's feet. "We shall wait and see if the pains grow worse. If so, I shall send for Bill. I do not have herbs to stop labor pains, but he most likely does."

"I'll curse those ruffians to my last breath if they have caused the babies to come early," Frodo hissed through a clenched jaw.

"We'll do everything we can to keep that from happening," Aragorn said, kissing Frodo's brow. "I will clean the blood and come back to check on you. Stay calm." He squeezed Frodo's hand.

Frodo nodded. He had full faith that if anyone could stop the babies from coming early, Aragorn could. He tried to relax, taking in deep, calming breaths. For many minutes he felt nothing, but just as he had begun to relax, another pain clutched his belly. He yelled, yanking at the blanket on either side of him.

Aragorn was in the room in seconds. "Are you still having pains?"

Frodo nodded, trying to keep calm. "You shall have to fetch Bill."

Aragorn glanced out the window. "I do not like leaving you alone." He shook his head. "But I must." He threw his cloak over his shoulder and sheathed his sword. "I shall be back soon. Frodo, remember not to let yourself push if you feel more pains."

"I know," Frodo said, nodding and trying not to show how frightened he was by being left alone with the pain. "Come soon!"

Times like these, Frodo wished dreadfully that they did not live out in the woods. If they lived inside of Bree, Aragorn and Bill would be back in minutes. As it was, Frodo was not sure how long Aragorn would be gone -- perhaps an hour. And much could happen in an hour.

He reached for the book he had been reading the night before. It was a book that Tommy had lent him, a collection of children's fairy tales. Though Frodo had read some of them aloud to Essie, he felt that some of them were too scary for a three-year-old and he indulged himself now by reading them.

Reading, breathing, and keeping perfectly still, the minutes clicked by, and Aragorn and Bill still did not arrive. Frodo felt another cramp build in his belly. He groaned. His brow broke into sweat, and he clenched all his muscles so that he was not tempted to push, as his body wanted him to do.

Aragorn and Bill arrived at last. They rushed into the room. Bill sat on the side of the bed. "First let us get you undressed. I am so dreadfully sorry those men broke into your cottage but I'm relieved no harm was done to any of you."

"There's harm," Frodo gasped, trying to breathe through the pain. "There's harm if they've caused the babies to come."

"We'll not allow that," Bill said, patting Frodo's belly. "Do you know how much time there has been between your pains?"

"The last one…the last one was probably soon after Aragorn left."

"That's a long time," Bill said, nodding in relief. "I would be worried if they had grown closer together, but it looks like this is merely a false alarm. All the same, I should like you to spend the coming week in bed. You may not get up for any reason. Aragorn, will you be here this week or shall we arrange for Tommy to stay here with him."

Aragorn shook his head. "I shall be here this week. I would not have the two hobbits here alone now, not after what happened tonight."

Bill nodded. "That is just as well." He turned to Frodo again. "Now do you understand? You're not to be out of bed for any reason."

Frodo nodded. He was too relieved that disaster had been averted to mind staying in bed. With Aragorn home, it would not be so bad anyway.

 

Frodo rested his hands atop his enormous belly, taking a light nap, listening always for the sound of Essie playing. Aragorn would arrive home either this evening or the next day, and not a moment too soon. Essie had become difficult lately, squirmy and contrary, and Frodo could barely move to keep up with her. He felt like a lumbering Oliphaunt. Tommy had brought Robin and had stayed with him all day, but listening to Essie and Robin squabble all day had finally shattered his nerves, and he had bid Tommy go home and spend time with Bart. After all, the twins were not expected for another two or three weeks.

Aragorn's latest forage into the wilderness was to be his last duty away from home until the babies came. He did not want to risk being away for the birth.

Frodo's eyes snapped open. He had not heard Essie for several moments. What had begun as cold rain had turned into sleet, which hit the window with a rat-tat-tat. Although sunset was hours away, it looked dark and ugly outside, and gray clouds sagged nearly into the trees. Wonderful napping weather, Frodo thought, if he could gain the strength to roll out of bed and start a fire in the hearth.

"Essie!" he called. The little girl did not answer. Frodo sighed. He supposed he would have to roll out of bed after all and find her. He had told her not to go anywhere other than the sitting room, so that Frodo could keep track of her.

Frodo managed to get off the sofa. Today his back ached miserably. He was not supposed to be on his feet at all, but he found that some daily walking about the cottage actually helped loosen the muscles in his back. Not seeing her in the sitting room, he waddled into the kitchen. She was not there, either. Frodo's heart thudded. He could not help but remember the day that Essie had climbed Appledore's tree. Surely Essie would not have stepped outside in this miserable weather. If she did, she was in for trouble and likely to fall ill, too. Frodo stepped onto the front porch and looked from left to right. No Essie. His back gave a warning twinge, and he knew he would need to lie down again soon. He regretted sending Tommy away.

"Essie!" he called. He hesitated at the top of a series of five steps that led from the porch to the grass below, and before he could catch himself, his feet hit ice, flew from under him and he crashed onto his back on the steps. A flare of bright pain splintered through his head and right arm, but all his thoughts rushed to the babies and how grateful he was that he had not fallen on them. His relief was short-lived as he touched the back of his head and his fingers came back smeared with blood.

"Essie!" he yelled hoarsely.

He managed to roll over to one side, groaning. Ice landed on his face, eyelashes, and curls. His fingers wrapped around the bottom of the rickety banister, and he pulled himself to his feet.

Standing on shaking legs, he could see that his arm had begun to swell and that if he did not get inside soon, he would faint from the dizzying pain that throbbed from his head. Clutching onto the banister with his good arm for dear life, terrified that he would slip on the ice again, he heaved himself up the few stairs to the porch again. He prayed he had not seriously injured himself. He could not go for help, and he certainly couldn't send Essie.

When at last he staggered inside, Essie was on the carpet, sucking her thumb. When she saw Frodo, she toddled to him. "Frodo hurt?" She began to weep in a fearful way.

"Don't cry, Essie," Frodo said, managing to pull himself onto the sofa. There he lay, panting for breath and trying fiercely to will the throbbing in his head and arm away.

A more insistent twinge in his back caught his attention. Perhaps he had done something to his back when he had fallen.

But when another pain, more insistent, followed, his heart battered with icy fear. The worst of his and Aragorn's fears had come to be. He was alone with Essie, and hurt, and the babies had decided to come early. Essie's labor had been painful and long, so the best he could hope for is that the twins would be the same and that he could endure it until Tommy or Aragorn arrived.

He focused on taking deep, calming breaths. Bill had expected the twins to arrive early, and they were indeed early, earlier than even Bill had expected. He tried to think. Hopefully they were not too early to live. The thought was too dreadful to continue. He and Aragorn had already decided names -- if they were both lasses, they would be named Primula and Lily. If they were both lads, they would be named Eldarion and Milo. If they were a lad and a lass, they would have a combination of those names.

Frodo tried to think through the fog, to try to imagine the moment the babes would be in his arms. He remembered that moment with Essie, as pain-wracked as he had been when he had seen her dear face, wrinkled and red, but alive and wailing.

Sweat beaded on Frodo's brow as a more intense contraction took his back. He knew the pain was nothing compared to what was to come. He had known this would be the case, but he had pictured Aragorn by his side the whole time, from the beginning. And now his swollen arm throbbed as if it had been stung by a nest of hornets. The bone might be broken, which sent his heart into wild pattering. Aragorn had once told him that it was possible to die from a broken limb just from the shock of the injury.

 

***

The pains came hard and cruel. He no longer felt much of the pain in his arm as knives jabbed into the nerves of his back and his abdomen. He could not help but cry out until his voice became hoarse. He tossed and turned, but the sofa was narrow and several times, as he writhed in a particularly bad pain, he had almost rolled off of it. Why he hadn't staggered to his own bed earlier, he did not know, except that it would have involved stepping onto a step stool, and he was not sure he would have had the strength or balance to do so.

Essie had curled on the rug, her thumb stuck in her mouth as she only did when she was frightened or ill. She had wept herself to sleep, and there had been nothing Frodo could do to comfort her. He had certainly never planned for her to be witness to the birth.

He stared up at the ceiling in a haze of pain. Please, don't let her watch me die, he pleaded.

He shifted his thighs and felt warm stickiness. He feared to look down, for fear he would see blood.

***

"Frodo? Frodo?"

Pale light and Tommy's horror.

"Frodo? Oh…Oh, dear! You've started…"

Started? Frodo was confused. The pain had already gone on and on for hours. Surely he must be almost ready to deliver. And where was Aragorn?

"He's not here, but I'm going now to fetch Bill. And I'll take Essie with me. She has no business being around this."

"No." Frodo clung to his hand. "Don't leave me."

"I must. I will be right back, though. With Bill."

"Essie…"

"I will take her, the sweet darling. Bart is home today. He will watch her. Be brave, Frodo."

"Good." Frodo closed his eyes, hoping to return to the world of shadows he had floated in before Tommy's arrival. He had still felt wicked, stabbing pains, but they had been dulled, a part of the background of unpleasant dreams. "I do not wish her to see me this way."

He must have blacked out for a time, for next he felt his breeches being wriggled off him and Bill's stern voice barking orders. Then his voice dropped to a soothing calm and he spoke to Frodo. "I am sorry. He is not here yet. Please stay calm. I need you to take calming breaths. How long has your arm been broken?"

Frodo tried to say, but he honestly didn't know how much time had passed since he had fallen on the stairs. As if in answer to Bill's question, his arm gave a mighty throb until he knew he would vomit – but he already smelled vomit, so perhaps he already had. His clothes clung to his back from sopping sweat.

"Do you know what happened, Tommy? He's had some sort of accident. There's blood on the sofa behind his head. And his arm is broken."

"No…no…I found him much like this, and Essie can't say either. Oh, I feel dreadful. He told me to go home, but I should have stayed."

Frodo heard Bill's voice drop low, so that he thought Frodo couldn't hear, misunderstanding the keenness of hobbit ears. "Tommy, this does not bode well for him. You should know this now."

"He will die?" Tommy whispered.

"I do not want to say that…but I only wish Aragorn would arrive. It will break him if he does not get a chance to speak to him."

Angry determination surged through Frodo. He would show Bill, who seemed determined to dismiss his life so easily. He would live through this. But Bill was right on one count -- if only Aragorn were here, he would be much stronger.

 

***

The pain ripped at his bottom, emitting involuntary scream after scream from his lips. He did not know how there could be this much pain possible. He didn't remember it being so bad from Essie's birth. His lip was raw and bloody from biting it, his voice hoarse, and his palms scratched and sore from his nails clenching into them with each pain.

The door burst open, and there he was, his darling, and he leaned above him, his face pale and filthy, eyes wide and gray with concern. "Frodo…my Frodo…" Frodo's clammy brow was kissed, and Frodo wept from weak joy. He would not give up now.

"You're here," he croaked. "You're here."

"Yes," Aragorn choked. "I'm here." He fell to his knees beside the sofa. Then he turned to Bill. "Can we not move him to the bed?"

"We can, but it would cause him undue pain."

"I think I can do it without causing him too much pain," Aragorn said. "He should be in his bed, where he can move freely. This cannot be comfortable for him."

Aragorn slid a strong arm around Frodo's back, lifting him. The pain shot up his back, paralyzing him with its sheer yawning agony until he blacked out.

When he opened his eyes again, he was on his bed. Aragorn had spread his legs, his breeches were off, and Aragorn's hand was deep inside.

"What…what…"

"There is a small problem," Aragorn said in that voice he used when he was trying to disguise a heavy heart.

"With the babies?" Frodo asked in alarm.

"One of them has his shoulder stuck, which is why you are feeling more pain than usual."

Frodo's breath came quicker. "Can you not do something to help them?"

"I am trying, but this may hurt."

"No more than it already does," Frodo whispered. He stared at the ceiling, clenching his fists, and longed for it to be all over, whether for better or worse.

"Aragorn," Bill said from the doorway. "Come."

Aragorn left Frodo's side, but Frodo could see the two men through blurred vision.

Bill shook his head. He whispered, "…as I feared…doesn't…make it."

Aragorn shook his head. "…not…foolishness."

"…lose…or him. I'm sorry. Perhaps…do well to…farewell."

"I'll hear nothing of it," Aragorn said louder through clenched teeth. "Now I'll bid you to keep silent. Hobbits have better hearing than you can imagine."

Aragorn returned to Frodo and spread his legs with such fierceness that it seemed they would be ripped apart. Aragorn's hand bumped against his bottom and then Frodo felt uncomfortable tugging.

"Don't bother," Frodo whispered. "I'm going to die anyway. Just take the babies from my belly after it's over."

"Hush," Aragorn said. "I will not let you die."

Frodo half smiled. He nearly believed him.

"Come, come now, little one," Aragorn coaxed the stuck baby, tugging again.

Ripping flares of pain followed, and Frodo threw back his head, moaning weakly. Why could he not pass out now, when he most needed to?

"Almost…have…him," Aragorn said. "Hold on, Frodo."

Finally there was a big rip, which initially felt like a stab wound to his bottom, but then right after, some of the sharp stabbing pains faded. Aragorn kept Frodo's legs spread, kneading the opening to make it as open as possible. Frodo felt blood seep out of him and onto the sheets.

"I see the head of the first," Aragorn said eagerly. "We're getting close."

Bill said, "I shall boil the water. When comes one, the next is not far behind either. Frodo's effort will soon have paid off."

That they saw the head gave Frodo a surge of strength and he pushed with everything in him. His face turned bright red and he broke into new sweat, but his effort was not quite enough. He needed a lot more strength than he had left inside him now. Oh, if only Aragorn could do this part for him. If only Aragorn could just pull the baby out with no effort on his part. He was so fatigued already.

***

The first baby had slid out. He was so tiny, more the size of a puppy than a baby, and Bill cut the cord and wiped him down and he began to wail. Frodo smiled with weary relief that he lived; he had not been born too early. But more pains were coming fast and furiously now.

"Do you see the next one?" Frodo gasped. He had half risen from the bed, leaning on both elbows.

Aragorn spread Frodo's legs again. "I do not." He shook his head. "Do not fear, though. The other one is still coming."

After another strenuous push with little effort, Frodo shook his head in misery and sank back down to his back. "Please get him out," he groaned. "Please. I cannot keep going."

Aragorn gripped Frodo's hand. "Yes you can. It's almost over. Twins almost always come out one after the other. Just keep up your strength."

Frodo nodded, and he braced himself for more. He thrust his head back into the pillow and pushed with all his might. Excruciating pain shot up his belly, and he shuddered, clinging to the already sweaty sheets and moaning.

Aragorn's hand covered Frodo's brow. He spoke in a calming voice. "You can do it. Just push again."

***

Three hours had passed. Frodo's efforts were now minimal. He did not try to push anymore. His yells had faded to faint moans. He wavered, only half-conscious, fading in and out of boring dreams full of every day activities, such as taking Essie to the market. Only he was in so much pain that he did not know how he would walk home. His dream thoughts were repetitive and boring as he tried again and again through the ongoing agony in his belly to calculate the total coins he needed to purchase the items he needed. But then another pain would come, and through it, he would desperately add up the prices, anything to divert his mind from the pain that seemed would never end.

Bill took a pair of silver wedges from his bag. "I do use these on women with reluctant babes. I hesitate because it can cause bleeding and because it can sometimes injure the baby's head. But in this case, we use these or we risk losing Frodo within the hour."

"Use them," Aragorn said roughly.

Frodo woke to sharp and cold jabs down below. He tried to keep his gaze focused on Aragorn, but his eyes drooped closed again.

"He cannot push now," Aragorn said. "He is thoroughly weakened."

"I will widen him, and you must help me pull the baby," Bill said. "Now!"

Frodo felt ripping and tugging, but it all felt distant and separate from him. He no longer cared if he lived or died. He vaguely wondered where the other baby was – or whether it even still lived. He had not heard crying for an awfully long time.

Then with tearing agony and a gush of hot liquid, the second baby came out at last into Aragorn's hands. Aragorn laughed slightly. So weary he must be, too. It had been dark again for hours, so the sun had set twice since Frodo had first gone into labor. Frodo held his breath, despite the pain and despite the feeling that surely his very life must be rushing out of him to soak into the bed sheets. He was still cramping, but he no longer cared. It was all over. Whether it was over for him now, too, it was yet to be told.

***

Frodo was propped up by at least four pillows. Somehow while he slept, he had been sponged clean, and the sheets and his clothing changed. He found he was dreadfully thirsty, and even a little hungry. He heard no crying and he swallowed against a hard fear that perhaps the babies had not survived.

Aragorn entered the room, and Frodo smiled.

"How do you feel?" Aragorn asked. He dipped a cloth in a nearby bin of water and wrung it out. He gently dabbed Frodo's brow. "You no longer have a fever."

Frodo shifted, which sent a bolt of pain up through his body. He winced. "I'm sore."

"I am not surprised," Aragorn said. He had dark circles under his eyes. "Drink this." He helped Frodo rise enough so that he could sip the foul-tasting tea.

"What is this?" Frodo asked, nearly choking.

"It will help with the pain and help you sleep longer."

Frodo forced himself to take a few more sips before a gnawing fear took his heart. "The babies…"

"They are healthy. Bill says it is a miracle that they live at all. They are small, even by hobbit standards, but…perfect." Aragorn smiled, although there was something melancholy in his expression. "There is something in their eyes that brings to mind my mother. But their eyes are too blue ever to change."

"And do they have hobbit feet?" Frodo asked with a grin. "That is of utmost importance, of course."

"Ah, I think I did see some curls about the toes," Aragorn said.

"Have they eaten?" Frodo asked. "At all?"

"Bill has fed them some warmed milk and they are sleeping now." Aragorn looked at Frodo. "He wasn't certain whether you…this time you could…"

"Not yet." Frodo pinched one of his nipples, frowning. He wasn't sore there like he had been right after Essie was born.

"Ah, well, they are healthy and you look much better than you did yesterday, and that is all that matters."

Frodo smiled again. "Yes. Yes, that is all that matters."

Aragorn bent down and kissed Frodo's brow, then kissed his nose and last captured his lips. "Sleep now."

 

END


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